Back in Action
by starshock1995
Summary: Starshield, after a long hiatus, discovers the loss of the city he created, but a distressing situation brings him back into the world.
1. Chapter 1

As of now, I'm ideally bankrupt and am going on break for some time. Until then, here's my last story for a while.

* * *

A beautiful day emerges to Azeroth. The alliance and war have ceasedfire, for now, and the twilight cult is all but extinct. But in the Orgrimmar inn, Starshield, once a great tauren paladin, seems to ignore the pleasantness surrounding him, sitting silently, drinking a warm, frothy brew, indifferent to the other bar patrons. The bartender, an orc inexperienced in combat but very pleasant to talk with, broke the ice.

"Why do you look so down, Star?" he asked. "And I thought you didn't drink"

The tauren looked up and replied, "Well, there's nothing else for me to do. I've been gone for some time, and when I came back, I found my work to have no impact of any kind."

"What do you mean?" he asked, troubled by his tone.

"Well, if you can keep a secret," the bartender nodded in responce.

"It all started when I came back from a long break..."

* * *

_I was headed out to that city people here used to be so curious about, hoping to help my replacement guide the city. When I stepped through the portal, I was in for a horrid shock: a city in ruin, devoid of life, and machines and plantlife rampant throughout. Before I could ponder this mayhem, a rogue jumped out and ambushed me, asking why I was there. I told him, and his expression turned grim._

_"Your city is finished, boss." he told me. "King Varian found your city and tried to destroy it. Our security measures kept his army at bay until the others got away, but now no one has been able to return."_

_"You mean, my hopes and dreams lie in ruin?" I said, realizing what I had just lost. "Well then, I'll be leaving, since I won't be needed here."_

_I was really quick to leave, so I didn't bother to notice how burly the rogue was for an elf, but I did notice his blue hair under that mask..._

_Anyway, afterwards, I went to visit my adoptive mother Mokcie to ask more about what happened. She gave the same story._

_"... and now the king has been arresting citizens for heresay, who have declared his act one of tyranny."_

_I didn't know where else to go from there, so I came back to Orgrimmar to retire for good._

* * *

"Well Star," the bartender responded, "Maybe you did have an impact on someone. A few days back, some goblin who claimed to be part of your 'city' told me about a gnomish friend she made. Apparently, they still work together today, and their work has been pretty outstanding."

"What? Those two still get along" he said.

"You see star, you did change someone for the better, and you still can, even without making a city."

"Maybe you're right. Thank you bartender, now if you will excuse me, I need to visit a friend of mine."

* * *

Meanwhile, in Elwynn Forest, King Varian was wandering to the Maclure vineyards, hoping to procure taxes, as the family hadn't payed them for a few days, and he wanted a chance to leave his throneroom for a while. As the farm came into his view, he didn't see anyone there, and began to worry of an orc incursion. In the hopes of finding some survivors, or evidence at the very least, he sent his men into the barn to find something. A few minutes passed, and they did not emerge.

"Hmm, the horde must be up to something, my men couldn't take this long otherwise."

Insisting that he would be fine, he brashly rushed into the barn, only to see his soldiers on the floor. His expression turned to anger, and he turned to the strange, blue hooded figure in the room.

"Don't worry, king. Your men are still alive, and when they wake up, they will not remember a thing."

He chuckled and said back, "That's the last thing on my mind. Now what are you, and why are you here?"

"Well king, in a way, you sent me here!" he yelled out. "Why did you destroy that city? You had alliance soldiers in there, some were just civilians. What would drive you to risk their lives?"

"As of now, an ally of the horde is an enemy of the alliance." he boldly stated. "And why do you care for those traitors?"

Without saying a word, he raised his staff, and it began to emit a blue glow. As the light dimmed, Varian fell to the floor, just like his soldiers. And with the entire group on the floor, the still veiled figure raised his staff again and the human forces disappeared in a bright flash.

"Now then, with the king out of the way, I can hope to build a new city, one he may never find. But first, I must find that warlock, she may be useful..."


	2. Chapter 2

"Deadwind Pass, I havne't been here in ages, but this time, I can tell things will go much better."

Starshield hadn't been to Deadwind pass for ages, but the last time he did, a warlock, Caitie, had took him prisoner and put him in her dungeon. She eventually did let him go and the two became friends. He wanted to pay her a visit, as he was feeling, lonely.

He soon arrived at her obsure house, but when he came to the door, he found a note.

_To whom it may concern,_

_Caitie is not home. She is doing some business with an old coworker, and it may take a while..._

Right away, he knew she was in trouble, and ran inside to find some clues. Instead, he found a veiled figure.

"You again?" he gasped, "Weren't you wandering the ruins of the City of Miracles?"

The figure simply responded, "I get around. And anyway, I know where the girl is."

He raised his staff, and it emitted a blue glow, and a blue screen appeared in front of them. It showed them the front of a crypt in a dark forest.

"Oh no, not again." Star groaned.

"You know this place?"

"Yeah, and the one there has had her way with me more than once."

"I see, but why do you not simply kill her instead and take the key?"

"Good idea, I'll be back, you can be on your way stranger."

He mounted his drake and flew of to Duskwood once again.

* * *

The crypt in front of him seemed to have been decorated with demonic looking sculpting. He knew who was responsible, and such bizarre artwork only assured his fears.

He bashed the door in and ran inside, right at the bottom of a flight of stairs, he came face to face with a succubus he was never happy to see.

"Aphrodetta, I should have known that you would do this."

"Oh Starshield," she purred seductively, "You know I'm always glad to see you, but I can't tend to you, I have a prisoner here, and she needs, my personal attention."

Saying this, she then pulled a whip out of her belt, and grinned maliciously.

"I'm getting a little tired of seeing you, so you know what," while speaking he reached towards his back and pulled out a well crafted looking shotgun, "I think we'll skip that other part."

He pulled the trigger, and though every bullet looked like it had missed, they began to glow yellow and all struck the shedevil, sending her falling to the ground immediately. He then went to her and grabbed the key around her belt.

Before he made it to the door, he noticed how damaged it looked, its conspicous dents and prominent cracks catching his eye immediately. He then heard something clattering behind him, and he turned to face this noise, and found Caitie, already escaped from her cell.

"Caitie," he said, exasperated by her presence, "long time no see."

"Yes, it has been some time," she replied. "But we can skip the introductions. I have something else to do."

Starshield interrupted her advance and whispered, "Actually, I need to talk to you about that..."

* * *

He had explained to her his previous run in with the demon, and when they agreed that she was too dangerous, they proposed a few ideas how to rid themselves of her.

"Well, she is already dead." he told her.

"You know those demons, they will just send another one and try again," she responded.

"But maybe, we can send them a message."

She then opened a fiery portal and tossed the succubi's corpse through it.

"Now they know who they are dealing with here. And anyway, how did you get that shotgun?"

"That is quite a story, but then I'd have to tell you what I've been doing since I left."

"Well," she sighed, "I have nothing better to do here, so go ahead."

With the two of them out of the she-witch's clutches for good, they began to walk back to Deadwind, feeling like friends for the first time since they had met.

"Who made that gun? It doesn't look like any I've ever seen."

"The engineering staff of the city of miracles." Starshield said.

"What is that?"

"Oh, well, it started when my blue drake told me about a distressed feeling he could not explain. So we went to this seer, and..."

He went on to explain everything else that had happened since then, and he finished as they neared her house.

"But when I returned, it was all in ruins. I had the feeling that nothing I did really mattered, but I know! I know what we were doing changed some of them for the better!" he sighed and went on. "I just wish I could still be doing that."

Starshield hid his dissapointement, but Caitie simply smiled and whispered.

"Maybe you still can, it's never too late to do great things."


End file.
